1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a touch panel and a touch panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Touch panels are input devices capable of directly inputting data through a display and usually provided at a front surface of the display. A user can directly input data based on information visually recognized by viewing the display through the touch panel, so that the touch panel is used in various ways.
As such touch panels, resistive touch panels and capacitive touch panels are widely known. For the resistive touch panel, transparent conductive layers are respectively formed on an upper conductive substrate and on a lower conductive substrate, and the upper conductive substrate and the lower conductive substrate are stacked such that the transparent conductive layers are positioned to face each other. When force is applied to a point of the upper conductive substrate, the transparent conductive layers of the upper conductive substrate and the lower conductive substrate contact at that point so that a coordinate position of the pushed point can be detected. For the capacitive touch panel, a position is detected by detecting a current flowing through a transparent electrode or the like of the touch panel when a finger or the like contacts the touch panel.
Generally, a cover film provided with a print layer, which becomes a decorating layer, at a peripheral portion is adhered to a surface of the touch panel.
However, as will be explained later in detail, when the print layer is provided at the peripheral portion, there is a step between an area where the print layer is formed and an area where the print layer is not formed, which results in air bubbles being generated at an interface. When such air bubbles are generated, a bad effect may be caused on visibility or quality of the touch panel, or further, such a touch panel becomes defective.